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CSAIL Researchers Unveil New Automatic Mapping System

Photo: Patrick Gillooly

The prototype sensor included a stripped-down Microsoft Kinect camera (top) and a laser rangefinder (bottom), which looks someth

28 September 2012

Disaster response efforts may be getting a little bit safer, thanks to new CSAIL research. In a new paper by CSAIL research scientist Maurice Fallon, Professor John Leonard, Professor Seth Teller, and CSAIL graduate students Hordur Johannsson and Jonathan Brookshire, a new method for tracking movement inside a building is detailed.

The new system involves a wearable sensor that is able to automatically create a map of the environment through which the wearer is moving. The system also includes a pushbutton for tagging certain features on the map, such as points of interest or structural problems in an emergency situation.